


House Of Memories

by WelcomeToTheBadlands



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arson, Dark One Emma, F/F, Fluff, Mental Instability, Murder, Oops, Slow Build Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, There's a lot of crime in this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:30:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5800840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WelcomeToTheBadlands/pseuds/WelcomeToTheBadlands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(inspired by Panic! At The Disco's House of Memories)<br/>Emma has become the Dark One, and completely isolated herself from the rest of Storybrooke. When people are beginning to worry about Emma's fate, Regina sets out to find her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_**Emma** _

_**\-------** _

_Dear Diary,_

I guess you could say that I was protecting others by excluding myself from everyone else, that's definitely what I thought. But the truth is, I think I am merely hurting myself. Not trusting myself or even letting go of emotion has created a whirlwind of distrust and awfulness. The Darkness has reached my mind, trying to corrupt it more ways than one. It's like I have a whole other me that is constantly trying to take control. And I don't trust myself enough to be around other people. 

Besides, Regina, Henry, they're all better off without me constantly being there to screw up. 

That's what keeps me from going into complete madness. 

_Dear Diary,_

My happiness lies in the fact that they can be happy. And the fact that no one has tried to look for me. A silent film divides me from the rest of Storybrooke and the rest of the world as I make dreamcatchers, hanging them up around in the trees that cloak me from everyone else. 

_Dear Diary,_

Solitude and isolation is not so bad after all. I almost forget what people are, it seems like months have passed by and I honestly couldn't care less. Yes,  _she_ often visits me, tries to make me venture out and hurt people, but the visits are far and few between. I have created my own little microcosm, and the effects have been wonderful. Almost bliss in the last few months. 

\--------

_**Regina** _

_**\------** _

 

We haven't seen Emma in months. There are rumours going around, that she now resides in the woods, a house far away from others that's divided by a filmy lair of magic, and others like myself are worrying that she killed herself to protect us. Either way I was going to find her. 

A cloaking spell had only gotten me so far as the woods before it quit working, but I was going to find her. 

For Henry. And I didn't care if I died whilst trying to do it. The first thing that was notable about the woods, was everything was a lot greener than I remember it being, and I had been here quite a few times. Something magical must have been affecting it's surroundings. I had blindly walked down a trail both Emma and I had been on, until something slipped from underneath me. Usually, Swan was the clumsy one, but this time I had been sent rolling down a steep green slope and I fell on another path. A tingling sensation had developed in my hands as I pushed myself up and continued moving forward. Hours had passed by until I found. A magic curtain of sorts that made it look like I'd made it to a cliff. 

My hand reached through and I touched rough tree bark where nothing should have been. I found her.


	2. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet again.

_**Emma** _

_**\-----** _

Was this a hallucination? Regina stood in front of me. But- no. How? I dropped the dream catcher as she stared at me. Perhaps scared of what I might do. Until she realized I wasn't going to do anything. "Emma?" I'm going to be sick. I haven't talked in so long. It seemed that I forgot how to. My mouth opened as I searched for words. All I came out with was a raspy-

"Hey," as Regina surged forwards, through the fields of flowers and to the porch that I made myself. She hadn't seemed interested in anything else. She just wrapped her arms around me. 

"I thought you were dead, idiot." There's almost a part of me that wants to laugh. But I didn't. Stupidly, I just stood there and let her hug me. Still processing the fact that there was indeed a person in front of me who was actually talking to me. 

"Yes, well. Sorry about that." I was still out of it, and honestly... I don't think anyone would know what to say in that situation. So I played it off, wrapping my arms around her waist until she let go. I mimicked the action, picking up the dream catcher and watering can that I had knocked over beforehand. "How did you find me?"

"Slipped down a pathway while looking for you- but that doesn't matter. We need to go back, tell the others you're okay and not-" 

"Evil?" Maybe I had gotten a teensy bit too offended by that. But it was honestly a valid concern. Regina didn't say anything, half expecting me to follow her. But I just coughed, planted to my spot. Her inquisitive glare made me speak again. "Regina I'm not going anywhere." 

\-----

**_Regina_ **

\-----

What did I just hear? Did she say she wasn't coming back? 

She couldn't have.

"What?" 

"I said, I am not coming back. I don't want to hurt anybody. And so far, it has worked." She did. This was not what I expected. Although I should have.

"Emma, Henry, Charming, the others have all been worried about you. And you haven't exactly been telling to us by erasing our memories." Suddenly her expression hardened. 

"I did that for your own good, Regina. Now can you please leave me alone." Her eyes were unfocused and hazy, she shook her head, blonde wisps of hair falling out of her bun as she did so. Regaining her focus. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. But I don't trust myself. So I stand by my answer. It's no." She moved swiftly with her water can to a small apple tree in the making on the side of her porch. Shaking out the last remnants of the water onto the plant before setting it down on a blue table. "You can tell the others I'm alive. If you so wish, but as soon as you walk out you won't remember where I am." I cock my head to the side, trying to get a grasp of what she's saying. 

"Fine, Ms. Swan. But we can help you, you just need to talk to us." 

\-----

**_Emma_ **

\-----

That night, the nightmares come back. 

This time, blood all over my hands. Killian lying in the bed next to me with the red ichor slowly oozing out of his neck and staining the light grey sheets. I had woken up with a jolt, bumping my head on the headboard before reaching for my journal, writing it down, and quickly heading to the kitchen. The perks of having magic- very expensive booze. I take one that's almost half empty and put it into a mug. The blended whiskey only succeeds in calming down my nerves, nothing more.

_When are you going to take on your duties as the Dark One?_

"Never, so stop trying to convince me to." This time she was easy to get rid of as I move to the couch, a newly filled bottle of whiskey and a grilled cheese in hand. I ate and drank with some crappy mystery show providing noise in the background. After Regina had left, there was a hole left that I thought I had filled. She reminded me that I don't do well in the absence of other people. 

Say hello to loneliness, yet again. Emma. 

 


	3. Keep On Keeping On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina visits Emma again. This time being happier than the last. (Inspired by Keep on Keeping on By Travie Mccoy and Brendon Urie)

_**Regina** _

* * *

It was a miracle I was able to find her place again. Randomly walking around the woods had gone to my benefit the last few days. "Oh, um... Regina. You're here...  _again._ " It wasn't reluctance, more like worry. Worry that something wasn't working in whatever spell she was trying to use to keep her location secret. 

"Why won't you come home?" Straight to the point this time. There was no point in avoiding it. 

"I don't want to hurt people, Regina. I thought we already established this."

"I don't care. We can help you. Come home." Emma merely took a book off of the top shelf near the kitchen and began flipping through the pages. Trying to ignore me.

"Ms Swan." The book snapped close. I repeated the process. "Ms Swan."

"Okay, now you are purposefully trying to piss me off Regina." It was a swift movement, Emma dropped the book and folded her arms shut. Her black bathrobe swishing as she did so. "I am trying to protect you guys. Maybe you don't understand- what resisting the darkness is like. But it's  _fucking hell._ Like you're going insane every single day, seeing-" she stopped, turned and yelled, " _Can't I just be alone?"_ Before turning back to me, "Imagine being with Rumplestilskin twenty-four seven, and then nightmares. Nightmares that make you question what reality is. Voices, nightmares, insomnia, and horrible fucking headaches." Her composure had changed at least four times when she had given me that little spiel. 

"It sounds like you could use someone to talk to."

* * *

_**Emma** _

* * *

She wasn't getting it.  _Mm, want some alone time with Regina? She's such a darling isn't she?_ "Yes. I do. But you know I can't."

"You can't bottle it up, Emma." Everything started echoing in my head. Magnifying in size and volume. The repetition made me dizzy, until something switched. I was no longer in charge. 

" _Your right. Sweetheart. I shouldn't."_ What was happening? " _Perhaps I should tell you what happened in Camelot instead? Would you like to know how you and all the other idiots pushed me over the edge?"_

"Emma, calm down." I could feel myself scratching at control, but something had turned off. My vision was almost cocompletely black as my pulse skyrocketed. 

_"You know... I believe it was something along the lines of, Robin died, big surprise, and Emma saved the day. Oh. And there was also the time you and Snow were choking to death and I had to save you. Don't forget about getting Merlin out of his tree, having to watch Hook die in front of me, and being outcast by all of you."_

My hands clasped over my mouth. What had I just said. "You guys looked at me like I was a monster, even my own son..."

"Well we aren't now,"

"Get out." 

"What?"

"Get out. If you're so intent on saving me, go out and do what needs to be done instead of pissing me off."  _That's the rather diplomatic approach. Don't you think._ There was a silence between the two as Emma stared at Regina, fully intent on her leaving. It seemed like a newfound hatred was in her eyes. Like the time that Regina had tried to poison her. "Go," 

"Fine, but at least come and visit once and a while. It's not fair that I'm the only one who gets to see your face."


End file.
